Catalina: A Great Escape
A great escape when you come to visit Southern California, USA on vacation or for a day or weekend getaway for LA or San Diego locals like me, is to head to the beautiful island of Catalina just off our SoCal coastline.
You can rent a luxury yacht by the hour to pamper your party of 8-12 people for the day trip over and back, take a helicopter, or save money and just hop on one of the ferries. All options you can find out of Marina Del Rey, Newport Beach Harbor, Port of LA, or Long Beach.
Whether you go for the day or to stay all weekend, in under two hours you’ll arrive in the town of Avalon on Catalina. You’ll feel as though you are a world away at a breathtaking resort island hideaway. A pumping beach club, quaint seaside village, condos and home rentals nestled in the hills surrounding the seaside escape make for an incredible island community.
Visit the iconic circular Casino Ballroom Hall where legendary events have been held over the years. You can rent kayaks for the day, fish, hang out in your private cabana listening to “A-list” music acts play live or guest DJs spins at Descanso Beach Club. If you’ve never been zip lining, this is a good place to start. Explore the town with its shops, art galleries, bars, and eateries. Go rent golf carts in town by the hour so you can shuttle yourself all over the surrounding hills and town to catch the key highlights while also capturing sweeping island and ocean views like the one below we recently caught on a perfect day trip with friends.
If you’re a SCUBA diver who doesn’t mind cold water, you can go dive in the kelp beds and see Garibaldi, which might be the happiest-looking fish on the planet. Be careful, the seals like to play chicken, the crabs are larger than small dogs, and some fish are the size of a motorcycle. It always feels like flying through a forest when you’re diving amongst the kelp. Try snorkeling or SNUBA if you’re not a diver–no one has to miss out!
There are no 5-star hotels on the island–it’s a little jenky, but all fun. Here’s the best the island has to offer:
Holiday Inn Resort Catalina Island
Enjoy!!
Where will you go next?
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